Additional storage space for vehicles is seemingly always desirable. To these ends, numerous different storage racks, storage containers and cargo carriers have been disclosed. In fact, a variety of vehicle roof racks and storage or cargo carrying containers are currently available in the market. Moreover, the prior art is riddled with distinct types of cargo carrying means ranging from modular rack systems, to extendable racks and motorized elevators that can be attached to the rear, the roof or other parts of a vehicle. Nevertheless, despite the variety of disclosed devices, the prior art falls short of addressing several problems common to these known devices.
For example, a common obstacle is where to attach such devices (often including container or platforms for containers) on a vehicle. Sometimes these storage devices are coupled to a side of a vehicle; other times these devices are coupled to a front end or the rear end of a vehicle. Often, cargo carrying devices are coupled or affixed to the roof of a vehicle since the roof offers a wide surface area suitable for sustaining a heftier load. A persisting problem however, is that prior art devices still require a user to lift their cargo up to a platform, storage container, etc. When coupled to the roof, such required lifting may prove prohibitive to most users due to height and strength limitations; multiple users may be required for heavier loads or users may be limited in what items they may store with such devices (i.e. limited by the weight a user may be able to lift rather than the weight capacity of the device itself). While the average SUV has a roof height of 5.8″ and larger vehicles may have a roof height of 6′ or more, and since the device sits on top of the vehicle rack, an additional 3-4″ on top of that is required to practically operate these devices without step ladders or the like. As such, many prior art devices are not used to their fullest potential due to this limitation.
One such device is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,207 to Frank. Frank describes a carrier apparatus for mounting on a roof of a vehicle. The apparatus includes a housing, magnetic mounts for connecting the housing to the vehicle and for supporting the housing in a horizontal orientation, and a drawer for sliding in and out of the housing. A pivoted connection is provided for connecting the drawer to the housing. When the drawer is retained in the horizontally oriented housing, the drawer is in the horizontal storage mode. When the drawer is pulled out from the housing and hangs down from the housing by the pivoted connection, the drawer is in the vertical access mode. Although the mounts can include a fluid suspension, lifting the cargo up into the container must be done manually, which as mentioned above significantly limits the type and weight limit of the cargo that a user will be able to load using this device.
Another device with a similar limitation is taught by U.S. Patent Publication 2017/0341590 to McLauchlan. McLauchlan describes a roof rack for a vehicle having a roof attachment means, a cargo frame adapted to releasably engage with cargo and a means to enable the cargo frame to be moved between a horizontal position above the roof of a vehicle and a vertical position behind the vehicle. In use, the roof rack is attached to the roof of a vehicle via the roof attachment means wherein a user standing behind the vehicle is able to pull the cargo frame or attached cargo towards himself such that the cargo frame and attached cargo moves from a substantially horizontal position above the roof of the vehicle to a substantially vertical position behind the vehicle so that the user can load and/or unload the cargo. Once this is done, the user can push the cargo frame or attached cargo such that the frame moves from a vertical position behind the vehicle to a horizontal position above the roof of the vehicle. Again, lifting the cargo up to the horizontal position can be difficult for most potential consumers, and as mentioned above significantly limits the type and weight limit of the cargo that a user will be able to load using this device.
Other devices address the problem of having to lift a load up to the roof by implementing a motor. One such device is taught by U.S. Patent Publication 2006/0175368 to Fallis. Fallis describes a cargo container for a vehicle including an enclosure or movable supporting member that is connected by a linkage to the vehicle. The linkage may be used to shift the enclosure between a transport position above the roof and a loading position behind the vehicle. A rearward pivoting member lifts portions of the enclosure behind the forward member upwardly to clear a rear corner of the vehicle as the enclosure is moved between the transport position and the loading position. Although this device appears to implement a motor for lifting the device between the loading position and the transport position, its use appears cumbersome and in order to facilitate the movement of the device, storage space must be substantially limited.
Limited cargo space is yet another problem that has not been adequately addressed, especially by devices that implement motorized lifting mechanisms. One such device is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 3,823,839 to Petzing. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 9,463,748 to Presley discloses a powered cargo rack for tall vehicles. Each of these devices fails to disclose an adequate storage space; likely due to their cumbersome lifting mechanisms that lake up space otherwise suitable for cargo.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,116 to Reinhart forgoes the motorized feature in order to provide a more adequate cargo space, by implementing a two-part or clamshell compartment. As such, although the cargo space is increased, the implementation of clamshell compartments introduces still other setbacks.
For example, clamshells are typically long and narrow. Because of their narrow shape, most consumers install them on one side of their vehicle's roof—otherwise they are unreachable. This creates an unstable load while driving and is therefore undesirable. Moreover, these devices are designed to attach to a cross-member of an SUV's roof rack. For cars that only have longitudinal rails, like most of the newer roof racks, clamshell manufacturers sell their own cross-members and fittings to attach to the factory-installed longitudinal rails.
Newer model clamshells open and lock from either of their longitudinal sides, but the hinging and locking mechanisms, and the cargo containers themselves, are flimsy; consequently, the hinges and locks are prone to breaking, which is a common complaint amongst current clamshell owners. Current devices available on the market are also of limited volume, typically occupying less than 50% of the vehicle roof's area, provoking some users to mount two devices side by side in order to accommodate all of their luggage and equipment. But the most limiting factor of such existing devices is that they are very difficult to load and access, typically requiring a step ladder or other specialized ladders (e.g. one that fits over the rear tire) in order to reach the device once it is mounted on top of the vehicle.
Therefore, there exists a previously unappreciated need, and an inadequately addressed problem, requiring a new and improved cargo carrier for vehicles. There is a need for a cargo carrier that addresses the problems mentioned above; enables motorized and automated loading of cargo onto a containment shell or enclosure; employs an enclosure of a durable construction that maximizes a surface area for storage; and is easily utilized by a wide segment of consumers for a wide range of uses. It is to these ends that the present invention has been developed.